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Good morning, Columbus

Good morning, Columbus, good morning, Insiders, and good morning, first stop of a six-city trip. Pitter patter.

First things first, Insiders. An apology. I did not adequately capture our landing at John Glenn Columbus International Airport, which I see has been re-branded from the redundant-sounding Port Columbus International Airport. (This is an appropriate and obviously deserving name, and LAKI would have also approved Jack Nicklaus International Airport in honor of another local figure.) But perhaps we were all a little too excited to be touching down after a four-hour flight because a quick reflex accidentally tapped the RECORD button twice, not once, leading to an abbreviated landing video after the error was realized:

Wow.

Here’s something much better than a Taxiing in Columbus video. It’s a clip from last night’s show by The War on Drugs, a really good indie/psychedelic/rock band that played at a venue just north of Nationwide Arena, a 10-minute walk from our hotel:

If you have satellite radio, turn to SiriusXMU 35, where they’re played roughly every other song. Under the Pressure is my favorite of theirs, and they jammed the holy hell out of it last night shortly before encoring with Bob Dylan’s Tangled Up in Blue. On the subject of singer-songwriter-guitarists, Ryan Murray, #27 on the Blue Jackets, is a very good guitar player with proud respect for his Saskatchewan roots and taught himself a bunch of Neil Young songs during down time with the Everett Silvertips when our paths overlapped there some eight-to-10 years ago.

Meanwhile, this room affords an overlook of some sort of commercial/industrial cooling system, but upon inspection, it is a Trane product, not Munters, so pay it no mind.

Speaking of which, having an eye on talent, I’m confident the Kings should sign this gifted young player, even though he is 26 years old and has two career games to his name with Kallhälls IF of Sweden’s Division 4. He is apparently a Leksands IF fan, which might place him at odds with Kings fans, because as we all know, Leksands forms one half of the Daladerby, the rivalry between Dalarna County outfits Leksands and Mora IK, the latter of which boasts Anze and Gasper Kopitar as alums.

It’s a beautiful morning in Ohio’s capital, Insiders, and the Kings are scheduled to skate at 11:30 a.m. at Nationwide Arena in advance of tonight’s game against the Blue Jackets. There’s a lot more coming today on both the blog and our FOX Sports West telecast. Let’s talk soon.

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#6 | 6′ 3″ | 216 lb | Age: 27

Bio

Muzzin was drafted in 2007 by the Pittsburgh Penguins, before signing to the Kings in 2010. He has since become the first Woodstock, Ontario professional athlete to win a major sports trophy.VIEW JAKE MUZZIN POSTS

Anze Kopitar

#11 | 6′ 3″ | 224 lb | Age: 29

Bio

As the 11th overall pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, Kopitar became the first Slovenian to play in the NHL. Kopitar has spent his entire NHL career with the Kings, and following the 2015–16 season, was named the Kings’ captain. Noted for both his offensive and defensive play, Kopitar was awarded the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward in the NHL in 2016.

#8 | 6′ 1″ | 195 lb | Age: 26

Bio

Bio: Doughty is a Canadian defenceman who was selected second overall by the Kings in the 2008 Draft. Doughty made his NHL debut in 2008 as an 18-year-old and was named to the All-Rookie Team. He is a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Kings, a two-time Olympic gold medallist with the Canadian national team, and a Norris Trophy finalist.

#73 | 6′ 1″ | 200 lb | Age: 24

Bio

Toffoli is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward, drafted by the Kings in the second round of the 2010 Draft. Toffoli scored his first career NHL goal in his second game in a 4–0 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes in 2013. He was also named the 2012–13 AHL All-Rookie Team.VIEW TYLER TOFFOLI POSTS

Jeff Carter

#77 | 6′ 4″ | 215 lb | Age: 31

Bio

Carter began his hockey career playing in the Ontario Hockey League in Canada before joining the AHL and playing for the Philadelphia Flyers. He was then traded to the Colombus Blue jackets before joining the LA Kings in 2012, where he has since won two Stanley Cups with the Kings.

#32 | 6′ 1″ | 218 lb | Age: 30

Bio

Bio: Quick is the current goaltender for the LA Kings and was selected by Los Angeles at the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Previously, Quick was a silver medalist with USA at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He’s won two Stanley Cup championships with the Kings, along with being the most recent goaltender to be awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs.